The Right Combination: Paul Caldwell and The Citi Open

By Nancy Davies

August 26, 2013

What would it be like to combine your favorite sport and your job? For most of us, this is not a possibility. For Dr. Paul Caldwell this happens every summer at the Citi Open combined ATP/WTA professional tennis event in Washington DC. http://www.citiopentennis.com . The tournament continues to draw the top players in both the women’s and men’s professional tour as it leads up to the US Open in New York. “For me it’s a dream come true, as it combines two of my favorite things. Taking care of athletes and tennis” says Dr. Caldwell. The Citi Open, formally known as the Legg Mason for many years, has been in existence since 1969 and has many famous winners from Arthur Ashe to Andre Agassi.

Dr. Caldwell, a Richmond native, practices orthopaedics and sports medicine at Tuckahoe Orthopaedics http://www.tuckahoeortho.com in Richmond and has a special place in his heart for tennis. Dr. Caldwell explains that, “tennis has always been a part of my life. In my family, it was expected not only learn to play, but also to play well. During my life, I have participated as player, teaching professional, coach, umpire, and tournament director, but none of these roles compares to being a tournament physician.”

Dr. Caldwell describes tennis as “a very niche sport. Even many sports medicine trained orthopaedist are not always familiar with the intricacies of tennis specific injuries. The professional players can tell if you know your stuff and having a background in tennis is essential to understand the specific stroke mechanics and training techniques.”

Having been a long time tennis player and fan, Dr. Caldwell goes on to say that “being around the game at that level is a thrill by itself, but being able to use my experience in sports medicine and Orthopaedics to help these players stay healthy and avoid injury is even better. He also notes “just as in many sports, every year the athletes become stronger and bigger and the game becomes faster, making injuries inevitable. Being able to see the players before, during and after a match makes the diagnosis and treatment so much easier.”